Is Your Student's Backpack Too Heavy?

Pain You Can Prevent

Haugen said the most common symptom reported from backpack use is "rucksack palsy."

"This condition results when pressure put on the nerves in the shoulder causes numbness in the hands, muscle waiting and in extreme cases, nerve damage. While there are many causes of back pain, backpack caused pain is a serious, yet preventable cause," she said.

Elk Grove Unified Seeks to Reduce Backpack Weight

Schools in Elk Grove are taking measures to reduce the weight of students' backpacks, the district says on its website.

Teachers tell students when they don't need to bring their books, and schedules are designed to "alternate which textbooks they need to bring each day," the district's website states. Students can also leaves their books in classrooms during lunch and at school if they aren't needed for homework.

More information is available at the district's website.

The Right Way To Wear A Backpack

Many students do not carry their backpacks properly, Haugen said.

"Do not sling it over one shoulder and don’t let it ride low on the back," she said. 

Avoid letting your student use too big of a backpack, cautions Haugen. The bottom of the backpack should align with the curve of the lower back, and should not be more than four inches below the waistline.

Haugen said parents should encourage children to not "carry a locker's worth of books to home and back to school everyday. Have them only carry what is needed for the day." Also, she advised placing the heavier books closest to the back, in the closest compartment to the back for the best distribution of weight.

Haugen said keeping children free of injury starts with getting the proper size of backpack with wide shoulder straps. 

"Shoulder straps should be cinched up with the backpack snug against their back, now hung low over their low back, pulling back on the spine. A backpack’s shoulder-strap anchor points should rest one to two inches below the top of the shoulders," she said.

She recommends several packs designed or endorsed by Doctors of Chiropractic. Air Pack brand backpacks, which her own kids use, which are specifically designed to distribute weight better. Air Packs are available from Amazon.com and at some Chiropractic offices. Other recommended brands include DC packs, Targus RakGear backpack’s and North Face.

"Their backpack shouldn’t exceed 10 to 15 percent of their body weight. An 80-pound kid shouldn’t be lugging around a 12-pound backpack on a regular basis," Haugen said. It is OK, says Haugen, for kids to haul heavier packs occasionally, like on family hikes or camping trips.

She advises kids to pick up heavy objects such as backpacks and instruments by bending down and using their legs to lift the weight, not by bending over and pulling up. She said parents should avoid having a child twist around, such as when exiting the car, to try and pick up a heavy backpack or instrument case and haul it up and over a seat back.

Haugen said maintaining proper posture is important for kids and teens and that this generation often has “video game posture” of shrugged shoulders and rounded backs as they hunch over laptops and video game equipment.

Act Early To Treat Pain

Parents should listen carefully and respond immediately when a child complains of pain associated with carrying their backpack, instruments and sports equipment.

"If they complain of neck or back pain, take them to see your family chiropractor, a physical therapist, or your family doctor or another posture specialist," Haugen said.

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